DEFENSE: Zeroing in on the Silo Busters

Long before the March SALT standoff in
Moscow, the central issue in the U.S.-Soviet arms race had become the
increasing vulnerability of land-based ICBMS to surprise enemy attack.
In recent months, U.S. defense officials and strategic analysts have
warned repeatedly that the Soviets were rapidly increasing their
ability to destroy American missiles. Meanwhile, although the fact has
received surprisingly little publicity, the U.S. is on the verge of
taking a big step forward in its own ability to knock out Soviet ICBMS
in their steel-and-concrete silos. The startling success of the new...